Jaguar XF Sportbrake vs Merc CLS Shooting Brake

Style, space, speed. Which would YOU choose?

Couple of things worth noting in relation to that: the soft, deep carpet in the Merc is a bit too special, and its narrow boot aperture can be an issue, while in the Jag, well, not much to report, really - it's splendidly easy to use.

A statement that accurately applies to the whole car. It's the pace of the thing, and all Jaguars really do have a particular pace and rhythm. It's in everything from the styling to the particular speed at which the gear selector rises from the dash and the air vents rotate open. So you get into the Sportbrake, and it imposes this pace on you. Sure, you can bully it into doing what you want, heaving it into corners, accelerating and braking aggressively, but, five miles down the road, you'll realise it has won you over. You're not travelling more slowly, just... more smoothly.